I should have posted this question sooner, but better late than never.

Tomorrow I'm going to be in Phoenix for a little exploration - seeing if we want to move there, and I'm in need of a good coffee spot. We'll be staying in the Chandler, but we'll be exploring the suburbs and city for a week. I know that Rocket Roasters is in the Phoenix area, but I've never sampled their wares, so I don't know if it's worth a trip to the shops that use their beans.

Any recommendations?

Restaurants, too?

Thanks,

Gabe

IN phoenix is a bit of a challenge.

Around phoenix, you can find some okay coffee.

Rocket puts out some really good coffee, but in the wrong hands, it can be pretty bad.. just like anything else.

I'll go out on a limb and suggest Cabin Coffee

I haven't tried their coffee, but I've met them, and they are passionate about what they do.

Coffee Shark is IN Chandler, and from what I know is worth a try. If nothing else, order a Press of one of the single origins.

If you're anywhere near Globe at some point, for whatever reason, drop by Vida e Caffe. (no link)

You might drop by http://www.arizona-coffee.com before your trip.

One thing you will learn really quick is Phoenix is one big sprawling city. Closer to Chandler I will suggest Bunna Coffee, on the corner of Elliot and Rural.

If you find yourself in Phoenix proper, Lux on Central between Indian School and Camelback is supposed to be excellent.

Stan

I have heard good things about Lux ... also check out:

Sagasta Salon & Coffee Bar
2540 E. Indian School Rd
http://www.sagastasalon.com/

John and his wife came thru the american barista & coffee school and I have heard good things about their salon/coffee bar hybrid. They have a big roll up door with "coffee" printed on it. Go check them out if you have time and say hi from Matt.

- m

Isotopeman wrote:One thing you will learn really quick is Phoenix is one big sprawling city. Closer to Chandler I will suggest Bunna Coffee, on the corner of Elliot and Rural.

Phoenix is like most desert cities. Heat rises, so buildings tend not to. Just like the local flora. It could be a forty-five minute drive from wherever you are in the PHX Metro area to any of these places, so having a bit of a location in PHX would help us help you.
OTOH, if you're near Tempe, 'Seattle Espresso' has a cheesy name, but a great barista. Look up Stephen Protasiewicz at the shop on Elliot road. 710 W. Elliot, Ste 101. I've seen his work close up, and he'll blow your socks off.
I was also pleasently surprised at a bit of a strip mall, at a shop bookended by a theater complex on one side and a neuvelle cuisine/fusion/sushi place (Ra) on the other, buy a place called 'Coffee Society'. I was a bit taken aback by the sound I heard, as I was unused to hearing it in a strip mall environment. As soon as I orderd, I heard the grinder start. I asked if every shot was ground to order, and he looked at me as if I'd grown a second head. "Of course!" My people! This is out on Ray Road and I-10 at the Ahwatukee mall. Excellent coffee, and he's made arrangements with the cineplex so that they'll let you take his coffee drinks in the theatre with you. Nice...

Just an update:

I only made it to two of the places listed. Bunna Coffee - pretty lousy and starbucks-like. Coffee Shark was the other one, and it was really good. And, they have a drive-thru, which made it easy when my girls were sleeping in the car.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.

I'm glad at least one of them was agreeable to you.

Coffee Cartel in the Tempe/ASU area... Here is the review I put up on google reviews today:

This review has a heavy bias from an espresso lovers perspective: All the right equipment: Triple group Synesso machine with bottomless portafilters, big Mazzers everywhere you look. No premade drip (yay), only hand made pourovers where they weigh the dose and the extraction. As for the espresso, they don't weigh every dose and extraction. But each barista calibrates both to his liking at the beginning of his shift. The espresso beans the day of my visit were not only single origin, they were single estate, although to me, there is nothing wrong with a carefully selected blend, either. In fact I prefer expertly selected blends... though you could argue that a well chosen SO is geekier.

Anyhow, the espresso geek will find little to complain about here, and that is the point.

My wife had an AMAZING fresh home made roll with butter and jelly. Baked right on the premises.

-Peter

any recommendations for the scottsdale troon area near pinacle peak

pcrussell50 wrote:Coffee Cartel in the Tempe/ASU area.

I'll second that. They're not quite the equal of a place like Blue Bottle Coffee in the SF Bay Area, but not too far away from that standard (barista-dependent). And their beans are very, very good (although CC typically has only 2-3 bean varieties on sale, unlike BB's dozen or so).